The revitalization of ethnic areas into urban historic districts is alternatively applauded as urban renewal and criticized as empty superficial attempts to evoke and spectacularize history merely as a means to attract tourists. Arguing that such critiques treat historic districts as static sites and infer passive observers, this study offers a communicative, dialogic approach to studying such sites. Focusing on several contemporary conflicts concerning the meaning of “community” in Ybor City, a national landmark historic district in Tampa, Florida, this study reveals how people actively occupy, struggle over, and use such urban spaces.
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